Barefoot Footprint01 User manual

Owner’s Manual

Contents page
1.0 Description 01
2.0 Warnings! (please read carefully) 02
3.0 Inputs and Controls 03
4.0 Startup 04
5.0 Protection 04
6.0 Signal Flow Diagram 05
7.0 Positioning 06
7.1 Widening the Stereo Field 07
7.2 Cooling 08
8.0 Maintenance 08
9.0 MEME™ 09
9.1 MEME Voices 09
9.2 MEME™ Voicing Frequency Responses 10
9.3 MEME™ Voice Selector Connection 10
10.0 Dual-Force™ Technology 11
11.0 Frequency Response 12
11.1 Polar Frequency Response 13
12.0 Specifications 14
13.0 Drawings 15
14.0 Limited Warranty 16
14.1 Warranty Conditions 16
14.2 Obtaining Warranty Service 16
14.3 Post Warranty Repair 17
14.4 Warranty Exclusions 17
15.0 Product Registration 17

1
1.0 Descripon
The Footprint01 is a 3-way acve system with 4 drive units housed in sealed enclosures spanning 36Hz to 45kHz
with low distoron, wide dynamic range and ultra-fast transient response. The ring radiator tweeter is
exceponally detailed and produces very wide dispersion beyond the highest audible frequencies. The 4”
midrange is housed in a sealed enclosure for fast transient response. Its ultra-s and lightweight aluminum
cone moves as a perfect piston well beyond its intended frequency range. The 8″ side ring woofers are
housed in a sealed enclosure for fast transient response and feature Barefoot’s renowned Dual-Force™
vibraon cancelaon technology. The net result is incredible transparency and detail across the enre audio
spectrum.
Barefoot’s innovave Mul Emphasis Monitor Emulaon™ technology, or MEME™ (“meam”) for
short, enables the Footprint01 to emulate the frequency, phase and transient responses, dynamic
compression and overall translaon characteriscs of other classic studio monitors.

2.0
The Mains power voltage must never exceed 250 VAC. Connecng the power cord to AC power line
voltages over 250 VAC will damage the amplier and may cause the risk of re. Such damage is NOT
covered under warranty.
Rear panel Mains power input layout.
2
Please read and follow the safety informaon below:
• Do not remove the rear amplier panel. There is a risk of electric shock. No user serviceable parts
are inside. Please refer service issues to a qualied technician.
• Do not operate this device with an ungrounded mains power cable or a mains connecon that is
ungrounded. This may result in personal injury.
• Do not place open ames such as lighted candles on or near this device .
• Do not expose this device to water, rain or high humidity. Do not place objects lled with liquids,
such as vases, on or near this device.
• This speaker requires adequate airow to maintain proper cooling. Do not obstruct airow
around the speaker.
• Do not operate this device in ambient temperatures above 30°C (85°F). Over-temperature may
cause device failure.
Cauon! This speaker is capable of producing sound pressure levels in excess of 85dB which may
cause permanent hearing damage. Always verify that input signal levels are aenuated before
powering on the speaker.

3
3.0 Inputs and Controls
1. [INPUT] XLR connector is designed to receive analog balanced line level audio signals from sources
such as preampliers, sound cards, monitor controllers and mixing consoles. Pin 1 is ed to
chassis ground. Pins 2 & 3 are fully oang dierenal inputs. Pin 3 must be referenced to
ground for single ended input signals. The analog signal is converted to 24bit/192kHz digital audio
via a precision, ultra-high-delity analog to digital converter secon inside the Footprint01.
2. [LEVEL] Eight posion rotary switch adjusts the loudness in precise increments ( +3dB, 0, -1, -2, -3,
-5, -7 and -9dB. ) The 0dB seng corresponds to a sensivity of 90dB at 1 meter distance using a
-15dBv input signal.
3. [MEME IN] 3.5mm stereo phone jack for connecon from MEME™ Selector Switch. See Secon 9
for MEME™ sengs and connecon details. The default seng with no switch connected is Flat.
4. [MEME THRU] 3.5mm stereo phone jack for daisy chain connecon to MEME IN of another
Barefoot monitor. See Secon 9 for MEME™ sengs and connecon details.
5. [USB] The universal serial bus connector is for factory adjustments and calibraons. This
connector is NOT an audio input.

4
4.0 Startup
1. Plug in the grounded mains power cable (see warnings on previous page for details) .
2. Plug in an analog balanced audio signals from a source such as a preamplier, sound card, monitor
controller or mixing console to INPUT XLR connector. Ensure that the audio signal is fully aenuated.
3. Power on the speaker with the rocker switch located on the rear panel above the mains connector. The
LED indicator on the front of the speaker will illuminate Red for a couple of seconds and then turn Aqua.
4. Turn up the audio signal and enjoy!
5.0 Protecon
Limiters
Peak Limiter
The Low and High frequency channels have individual Peak Limiters designed to protect each driver
from high amplitude, short duraon audio input signal spikes that might cause damage due to over
excursion of the voice coil. These limiters are implemented digitally within the DSP in such a manner
that they have zero eect on the audio signal below their thresholds. The front LED indicator light will
ash RED when a Peak Limiter on any of the driver channels is triggered. The duraon of such events
is only a fracon of a second. Therefore, the LED ash may appear pink or orange as the eye naturally
blends the normally aqua-blue color of the LED with the red.
RMS Limiter
The Low and High frequency channels have individual RMS Limiters designed to protect each driver
from long duraon, high amplitude audio input signals that might cause thermal damage due to the
voice coil. These limiters are implemented digitally within the DSP in such a manner that they have
zero eect on the audio signal below their thresholds. The front LED indicator light will ash RED
when a RMS Limiter on any of the driver channels is triggered.
Cauon: Signals large enough to trigger any of the limiters can generate very high sound pressure lev-
els that may result in permanent hearing damage.
Over Current
In the event of a large audio input signal that might damage the ampliers or power supply due to cur-
rent overload, the power supply is designed to enter into Over Current protect mode. This state typi-
cally results from a large, broadband input signal burst that at lines the limiters on all four channels
simultaneously. While the fault persists the amplier power rails shut down, the speaker goes quiet,
and the front panel LED turns red. Once the audio input signal is turned down the speaker should
reboot within a few seconds. If the speaker fails to reboot or the LED light goes out completely, dis-
connect the audio input cable and power cycle the speaker. Verify the signal level is aenuated be-
fore reconnecng audio input cable.
Cauon: Signals that cause Over Current protecon to trigger can generate very high sound pressure
levels that may result in permanent hearing damage.

5
Tweeter Midrange
Woofers
Ampliers
DACs
24bit/192k
Hz
Limiters
Crossover
and
MEME™
Input
Level
ADC
24bit/192kHz
INPUT
LEVEL
MEME
IN
Clip LED
6.0 Signal Flow Diagram
MEME™ Voice Selector Switch
MEME THRU
MEME
IN
Passive
Crossover

6
7.0 Posioning
The acousc center of the Footprint01 is located at the LED indicator just above the tweeter. The Footprint01
is designed to work equally well as a neareld or mid-eld monitor. The minimum recommended listening
distance is 3 .0 feet (91 cm). This provides enough distance so the sound waves from the individual drivers can
coalesce and the speaker sounds like a single source. While speaker posioning can oen be dependent on the
nature of the room, a good starng point is to create an equilateral triangle between the two speakers and the
listening posion. The speakers should be angled inward so the tweeter axes aim towards the listener’s ears,
crossing a few inches behind the head.
A “typical” placement scenario might have the speakers posioned 1.5 feet (46 cm) from the front wall, the
LEDs at ear level and the speakers and listening posion forming an equilateral triangle with 4.0 feet (120 cm)
sides. However, every room has its unique characteriscs. Therefore, the opmal listening distances, speaker
height and distances from walls are maers for experimentaon. The Footprint01 is well equipped to work at
a variety of listening distances.
Example: Preferred stereo arrangement.

7
7.1 Widening the Stereo Field
We generally recommend angling the speaker axes in towards the listening posion to create an
equilateral triangle as described above. This yields the most accurate high frequency response and the
sharpest stereo image at the center listening posion. In some cases, however, the listener might
change posions frequently. Or there might be mulple listeners. In such situaons it may be
desirable to have a wider and less focused stereo eld which provides beer coverage over a range of
listening posions. This can be achieved by aiming the speaker axes more forward such that the axes
cross further behind the center listening posion. The gure below illustrates the general principle
and is not meant to be an exact measure of speaker angles or opmal listening posions.
Since the Footprint01 has such wide o-axis dispersion, the horizonal angle relave to the listener can
be changed by up to 10 degrees with less than 1 dB variance in the frequency response across the
audible spectrum. Angling the speakers forward in this manner will somewhat defocus the center
stereo image while providing generally beer imaging over a range of listening posions. For some
users this may be an acceptable compromise.

8
7.2 Cooling
While the amplier modules that drive the Footprint01 are very ecient, the speaker sll generates a
signicant amount of heat that must be dissipated. This heat is transmied to the air via convecon from the
rear amplier plate. In order to ensure proper airow, a minimum of 2.0 inches (51 mm) clearance should be
maintained between the speaker and any large obstrucons like walls. An ambient room temperature below
30°C (85°F) should be maintained. Over-temperature may cause speaker to overheat and shut down.
8.0 Maintenance
Exterior surfaces of this product may be cleaned using a non-abrasive lint-free cloth lightly damped
with water. Disconnect the mains power cable when cleaning to avoid risk of electric shock. Do not use
alcohol-based cleaners.
Driver acve surfaces such as diaphragms and surrounds may be cleaned using dry so bristle brushes.
Driver diaphragms are very delicate and easily damaged. So, proceed with great care. Clean new
sable arst brushes or cosmec brushes work well for this task. Gently brush dust away from the
surface starng at the center of the driver diaphragm and moving radially outward. Avoid applying
inward pressure to the driver diaphragm.
Repairs, maintenance, or other servicing of this product when its interior compartment is exposed
should only be performed under specic advice from Barefoot Sound by a qualied technician or by
the Barefoot Service Center. There are no user-serviceable parts inside this product.